Three Centimeters to Matsuoka Gou
by Chibieska
Summary: Matsuoka Gou liked boys. But not any boy. He had to be handsome and athletic, well-worked triceps, and defined abdomen. So, what will she do when a boy doesn't fit her standards?


Free! belongs to Kyoto Animation

Title: Three Centimeters to Matsuoka Gou

Notes: (1) This is a ficcional work, elements of the original work can be altered for better compatibility with this story.

(2) English is not my first language.

I hope you enjoy!

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Matsuoka Gou liked boys. But not any boy. He had to be handsome and athletic, well-worked triceps, and defined abdomen. He needed to be agile in the pool, and the droplets of water should run gloriously down his wet body after another exhausting day of training. It made no difference whether he was blond or dark. As long as his body was sculpted by the gods, the boy would earn several extra points with the girl. She knew that, everyone knew that. So, she couldn't take those words seriously.

It was late afternoon; the sun had almost set, and the sky was covered with bluish clouds. A cold wind announced the beginning of autumn, and the club's activities had already ended. Gou was gathering her last belongings before going home when she realized she wasn't alone around the pool. Her eyes wandered to the extra presence there.

Hazuki Nagisa was standing a few feet from her. He was partially dry, still in his swimming trunks and a towel around neck. Usually, he was the first one out of the pool and noisily making his way to the locker room. So, Gou was surprised to see him there.

"Did you forget anything?" She asked.

"No, I just..." But the words died, being carried by the wind. The silence was so deep that they could clearly hear the conversation between the boys in the locker room. "Gou..."

"It's Kou!" She replied with a frown.

"I've been thinking. After the municipal competition exams pass... Well, there's going to be the fall festival... And I'd like to know if you want to go?" Hazuki's voice didn't sound as usual, but it was probably just tiredness.

"Sure." Gou closed the bag and adjusted it in the back. "It will be fun spending time with you, guys, away from the pools."

"Well, not with the team. I wonder if you want to go with me?" The boy scratched his hair and looked away at the pool. The orange sky reflected perfectly over the water.

For a second, the girl's brain stopped working. Was its impression or did it sound like a date? Impression should be just it.

"It sounded like a date." Her voice sounded unnecessarily loud and amused.

Nagisa looked at the girl. She didn't look shy, as girls usually did after the suggestion of a date. She looked skeptical. "It's a date."

Gou choked. The boy was serious, in a way the red-haired girl had never seen before. He was joking, right? Nagisa was always joking. But before Matsuoka could utter her thoughts, the boy interrupted her. "Well, I need to go. Bye."

In the days that followed, the young woman tried to get her thoughts in order. Nagisa never touched the subject of the festival or the date again and treated her exactly as usual. But she couldn't forget that serious, determined expression. But if the invitation was real, that meant the boy liked her. And it was something Gou couldn't even imagine. They had nothing in common.

They were in the same swim club, had the same friends, and he loved to piss her off because of the name. But that didn't seem enough reason to fall in love with anyone. Or would it be? She had no idea what was going through the blonde's head.

Besides, Hazuki was not her beauty ideal. Nagisa had a defined body but was very small and thin. Sure enough, he needed to gain some size to move up the girl's rank. But what intrigued her most was, why hadn't he expected an answer?

=8=

Matsuoka Gou arrived determined that morning. She hadn't slept well the night before, trying to conclude. She needed more data, but if things went as she imagined, she already knew what to do.

The boys were warming up around the pool. The wind was still cold and boring. Haru finished his warm-up and jumped into the pool. Rei took one last run to warm up his muscles. While Makoto and Nagisa were talking.

Gou's plan was to wait until the end of training, but she was very anxious for an answer and decided to approach.

"What did you say that day is true?"

Nagisa stopped his talking and faced the girl. He felt all the blood rise to his face. He knew her answer would be negative, so he hadn't even waited for an answer.

"About the festival," she insisted. It was his impression, or Gou had a very suspicious expression on his face. An expression he couldn't decipher.

"Yes." He felt his face flush and voice barely left.

"Why me?" Gou's voice came out casual, although she was too curious to know why the boy liked her.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't think we choose that kind of thing." Nagisa blushed even more and instinctively started to laugh. Laugh with nervousness.

For Gou, the answer wasn't so satisfactory. She believed the boy would swear eternal love and tell how spectacular he was. But judging by the short answer, he was unprepared for that question and ashamed of Makoto, who was standing there listening to the whole conversation.

"Well..." The girl pulled a tape measure from her hoodie pocket and wrapped it around the blonde's arm. Then she took a note in notebook. "Three centimeters."

"What?" Asked the confused boy.

"Three centimeters. That's how much you need to increase your triceps if you want to have a date with me." She replied. Gou pocketed the tape measure and returned to her post, making notes in the notebook.

Nagisa was stunned. That means Gou was willing to have a date with him. The answer had not been negative after all. But how would he increase his measurements in such a short time? He had a great urge to laugh, though he was a little worried too.

"What is this story about date?" Makoto's voice curiously drew him out of his thoughts.

Gou could hear Makoto's questions about the blonde and wished they would go to the pool soon. She was still afraid about her choice, but Nagisa was nice and interesting, and couldn't deny that he was quite charming. It wouldn't be so bad to give him a chance if he was really interested in her.

=8=

Nagisa was sitting by the pool, legs in the water. It was very cold, and he didn't have the courage to swim. Haru glided across the pool regardless of the freezing temperature of the water. Makoto and Rei were training too, but their blue lips and unhappy expressions were visible. The municipal championship had passed and one day was left for the fall festival.

"Aren't you going to train?" Gou knelt beside him.

"It's very cold," he replied, making a funny face and curling into the team's hoodie.

"Are you ready?" She asked shrewdly, pulling out the tape measure.

"I was born prepared!" He replied with a confident smile and took off his hoodie. Gou wrapped the boy's arm with the tape and analyzed it two or three times. Then, she put the tape away and made notes in notebook. "How much? Five centimeters?"

"You didn't even get to three." She kept writing in his notebook.

"Oh really? But I trained so much. Are you sure your markup is correct?"

"Of course."

"So, no date?" He pouted.

"No."

"Don't I even get a prize of consideration for my efforts?" He argued in a falsely tearful voice.

"Prize?" Gou raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I tried so hard. I deserve some prize." Despite the pout, his voice comes out excited as usual.

"Very well. We can negotiate."

"How about..." The boy thought for a moment. "A cake?" And gave a hopeful smile.

"A cake?" The girl blinked a few times to see if she'd processed the information right. Not quite what she expected. "I don't cook."

"Ah..." He let out a little snort. "But you could buy one. I know a shop…" He spoke enthusiastically like a small child. Nagisa was talking about the strawberry's cake, but Gou wasn't listening.

Indeed, Hazuki had worked hard to get her to such a date. It proved that he was serious about them. Perhaps, she should be more malleable and accept the meeting at once. No, no. They had a deal. No triceps, no date. But then what to give as a consolation prize?

"Hey..." Gou called taking the boy out of his dreams.

But Nagisa barely had time to face her when he was be plunged into a sea of red hair. He felt the girl crash her lips in his and shaking hands hug his neck. He couldn't even hug her back because of the speed with which she ended the kiss.

"Feel rewarded." Gou announced, her face was as red as her hair and she trembled as a windswept bamboo. She turned back and walked heavily, going away.

"And my cake?" He asked innocently.

"No cake, stupid Nagisa!" She roared furiously without turning around. Her heart was pounding, her face was terribly red, and she felt like a complete idiot. Kissing him like that would make him has strange ideas, hopes for a relationship she didn't know if she was still ready to have.

"Gou!" The blonde called again.

"It's Kou! And I've already said there's no cake for you!" She'd strangle him if he spoke once more about that damn cake.

"Thank you." The boy had a soft and delicate expression, it was visible how happy and fulfilled he was. Gou felt the face flush even more. Without answering, she turned her back and walked away quickly. Not fast enough to not hear Makoto asking if they were dating.

Matsuoka Gou liked boys. But not any boy. He had to be handsome and athletic, well-worked triceps, and defined abdomen. He needed to be agile in the pool, and the droplets of water should run gloriously down his wet body after another exhausting day of training. And, she liked Hazuki Nagisa too. A bit!

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N/T: I used metric system because I'm not familiarized with Imperial system or USCS.

Thank you for reading.

If you like, please comment!


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